before you were born

Bookstores, boutiques, and bars... just like today.

Click through for scenes from the neighborhood in the late 1800s, all the way up to 1940.

Have you ever seen Coney Island looking like this? From the famous Elephant to the boardwalk being built, here are 21 photos documenting its early days.

Check out these old timey photos of New Yorkers cooling off in fountains, in pools, and in the East River.

Click through for a look at what Clinton Street looked like before it was congested with brunch lines, and more...

Staten Island like you've never seen it before.

A look at the borough before you really knew it.

...and from before it was burning.

Revisit a time in Manhattan that you (likely) never even experienced.